Comedian and host of The Daily Show Trevor Noah views the world from a unique vantage point; his analysis of American news and culture benefits from his own experience, growing up in South Africa as the biracial son of a South African mother and European father. “I couldn’t play in the streets because my grandmother and mother could get arrested. I couldn’t be known. I became used to being an outsider, which isn’t the worst thing in the world. It doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy what is on the inside, but it means you always maintain a mind-set that keeps you within your own space,” he said to The New York Times in 2016. His new memoir, “Born a Crime,” is out now.

Below are Trevor Noah’s favorite books, available to purchase as a set or individually.

Khaya Dlanga

Yaa Gyasi

Thanks to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, America and Africa are linked in more ways than we usually think about. This is a fascinating novel about the legacy of slavery and white supremacy on both continents.

Sol Plaatje

Plaatje was a founder and first general secretary of the organization that became the African National Congress, and his writings have survived to become some of the most compelling and celebrated accounts of the early days of apartheid.

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Grand lists is a curated arts site specializing in books and movies selected by 100 public figures and celebrities, ranging from designers, musicians, artists, actors, performers and directors, to politicians, novelists, scientists and athletes.